MSPs snubbed a crucial Holyrood meeting on street crime this week - to knock back free WINE at an art show.

Campaigners travelled from all over the UK for a landmark summit in a bid to help Glasgow's troubled Easterhouse scheme.

The event was logged on the Scottish Parliament's official diary of events and every MSP was invited to attend.

But only FOUR politicians turned up - while a show of arty photographs in the nearby Garden Lobby was MOBBED.

Last night furious organiser Richard McShane raged: "It sends out a clear message - they just don't care.

"The other event had free wine and nibbles on offer, so maybe that's where we went wrong."

Richard, 54, set up community group Bartara last year in a bid to help residents in Easterhouse where 12 knife attacks have been carried out since January.

On Wednesday he was joined by locals, police and charity workers to show MSPs a film on the violence blighting the area.

The meeting was booked by Christina McKelvie, the SNP MSP for Central Scotland.

And she attended along with fellow Nat Bill Kidd and Frank McAveety, Labour MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, plus Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who popped in towards the end of the two-hour summit.

Of the Parly's other 125 MSPs, sources say DOZENS went to the Placebook Scotland exhibition to scoff snacks and guzzle chilled plonk while gazing at snaps for a website project.

Richard added: "I heard a few MSPs boycotted our meeting because it was set up by an MSP who doesn't cover Easterhouse. That is a total OUTRAGE.

"It is ironic we're fighting territorial gang problems - yet politicians block us with their own petty territorial issues.

"We were GUTTED when we saw that empty room. People flew from England at their own cost to be there but MSPs could not even walk down the hall."

The crime summit backed the News of the World's Save Our Streets campaign.

And they were supported by David Sye, son of the late singer Frankie Vaughan, who helped fight gang crime in Easterhouse in the 1960s.

David, 48, promotes his Yogabeats meditation to tackle violence all over the world.

He vowed to help out in Easterhouse to follow in the footsteps of his dad, who set up a knives amnesty and opened a community centre there.

Outraged David admitted last night: "I feel very angry about what happened.

"I came up from London to take part in a proper debate on these vital issues.

"But it was very surreal to see so few taking part in the event.

"These problems are real and are on the politicians' doorsteps yet they're not prepared to come and get involved."

He added: "My father came here 40 years ago and thought he had made a difference. Now all these years later, apathy and petty political squabbles have put us back to square one."

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